


Next Logical Step

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Insecure Ryan, M/M, Multi, No Smut, Polyamory, Pre-Established Sara/Shane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 08:58:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14016789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ryan is their best friend. He's been there through every step of their relationship. This is just the next logical step, right?





	Next Logical Step

Ryan’s heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. It banged against his ribs and tightened his throat until it was hard to breathe. As scary as the cases he and Shane investigated were; nothing beat this feeling. He sat in the quiet restaurant, staring at the two empty seats on either side of him. He chewed a breadstick without tasting it, just wanting something to do with his mouth and hands as he waited.

It shouldn’t have been so stressful. He was just waiting for his two best friends to have dinner. Nothing out of the norm except for one word. _Date_. It was a dinner date _._ With Sara and Shane, his best friends and the dream couple of their office.

Ryan had been there from the start. He’d been the first one Shane told about maybe kinda sorta liking Sara, the confidant for their first kiss. He’d taken Shane out and cheered him up after their first big fight, and later that night held Sara while she cried on his shoulder over it. He’d witnessed the make up, and the tearful admission of love from both parties. He was entwined in their relationship, such a big part that he couldn’t imagine his days without it - but also painfully aware that he was a third party. The bridesmaid and not the bride metaphorically; as much as he knew about their relationship he’d always assumed it could go on fine without him.

“Ryan!” Sara’s voice tugged him out of his thoughts and he grinned, standing instinctively as she approached. She reached him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Were you waiting long?”

“No, only a few minutes. Just long enough for breadsticks. Where’s Shane?” He asked as they sat.

“Finishing up at the office.”

“Still working on the new Ruining History?”

“As far as I know. At least that’s what he was muttering about when I reminded him of the date.”

Ryan laughed even as he shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at his hands on the table. Sara reached out, squeezing his wrist. “Are you really okay with this?”

“No. I mean— Yes, in the sense that I really like you two but— You’re an amazing couple already. Why would you need me?”

Sara smirked like it was the most obvious question she’d ever been asked. “Don’t be stupid, Bergara.”

When Ryan’s face didn’t change, Sara smiled patiently. “Where have you been this whole relationship?”

“Pretty much right next to you two. It’s how I know you’re so amazing.”

“Uh-huh. And when we fight and have issues -- who do we come to?”

“Well, me, but--“

“Don’t you get it, Ryan? You’re half the reason we’ve made it as far as we have. I mean don’t get me wrong, me and Shane are awesome together, even I admit that. But it’s not enough and we both know it. We both admit it.”

“And you think I’m...”

“We’ve wanted to open our relationship for another party for a while. It’s hard to explain. We love each other, we do. But it’s like we have too much love to give in a way. We need a third party to really balance each other out. And every time we bring it up, _you_ keep coming up. That says something to me.”

Ryan smiled a little, his heart picking up it’s gymnastics routine against his ribs once more.

“Look,” Sara continued, placing her hand over his wrist, “I’m not going to force this on you. Neither of us are - you’re our best friend and more than anything we don’t want to lose that. But if the only thing holding you back is a fear of wrecking our quote-unquote perfect relationship... Don’t let it.”

Ryan nodded. Sara picked up a breadstick and poked him in the cheek with it before taking a bite, chewing obnoxiously loud.

 

Shane rushed into the restaurant a few minutes later, looking a little flushed. His hair was messy; a sure sign he was frustrated with _something_ involving the video. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to Sara’s cheek before circling around her. He hesitated near Ryan’s seat then leaned down, letting his lips graze over Ryan’s temple.

Ryan’s heart - having just resumed a healthy tempo, stuttered and skipped again. Surely all this couldn’t be good for his health. He smiled regardless when Shane flopped down between them at the round table and snagged his glass of water, taking a sip.

“You look beat.”

“I’m going to kill that new intern.”

“Joey?” Ryan guessed. Shane gave a halfhearted glare. “The kid tries. He really does. But he’s dumb as a sack of rocks. Were we that bad when we started?”

Ryan shrugged, motioning the waiter over. “We mighta been. I felt like I was terrible to be honest. You kept my head above water more than once.”

Shane smirked. “You bet your ass I did.”

They ordered, falling into an easy conversation while they waited on the food. Shane discussed some of the issues he was having editing the show, and Ryan and Sara offered their own perspectives.

As they ate their conversation shifted naturally to Sara’s upcoming projects and finally to Unsolved. Sara pried for more of their upcoming episodes while the boys smirked, sharing silent, knowing glances. Sara finally flicked a piece of pasta at Ryan. He made a small noise of indignation, but picked it up from the table and popped it in his mouth.

“Don’t tell me then. Boyfriend’s already keeping secrets, that’s what I get for saying okay to your cohort joining us,” Sara teased.

And with that the thin illusion of normalcy shattered for Ryan. When he wasn’t thinking about it, tonight was just like every other night. They were chatting and having fun - no pressure. But they had to think about it. It was the elephant in the room so to speak, and it had just taken a seat at the table.

Shane spoke first, his voice surprisingly soft and insecure. “Is this something you think you think you could work with, Ryan?”

“This? You and Sara and-- Me?”

Shane nodded.

“I want to. You know I’ve had a crush on you pretty much since day one,” Ryan mumbled.

“I know.”

“And I fell for Sara pretty hard -- She’s kind of a bad ass.”

Sara smirked, but remained silent, picking at her food as she listened to Ryan.

“I was so happy seeing you two get together cause it was like... These two people I admired so much could be happy and do things together. You could work in a way I felt like I never could with either one of you guys.” Ryan shrugged. “I want this I just-- I’m confident I’m gonna fuck it up.”

“Ryan, can I be honest for a second?” Shane asked.

“Always, man.”

“You have been the one steady thing in my life since I started at the company. When me and Sara are happy, when we fight -- It’s always _you_. I go to you and I vent and I listen to the things you say to me. And I know that you care. And that you’re gonna take the first second you get to go to Sara and listen to her side too. And it’s not to play the middle or get the gossip. It’s because you honesty care about the both of us. You want to make sure we’re both in a good place and even when we’re fighting... You know - somehow - how to fix it. We wouldn’t be where we are today if you weren’t there between us. _With_ us. Ryan, you’re already a part of this relationship. The only thing we’re offering is to make it official.”

Ryan remained silent after Shane stopped speaking, not entirely sure what to say. Moments of their past few years came flooding to the surface - fights and presents, confessions and secrets -- All shared with him both in confidence and in pure elation. He looked up at Sara, who was watching him with a soft smile. The light of the restaurant gave her slender face an angelic glow, her dark brown curls coming loose from the style she’d maneuvered it into  at the start of the workday. She was fucking perfect and he knew it. He reminded Shane almost daily how lucky he was to have Sara. He’d never imagined this. That he’d be the lucky one - that he’d be offered this amazing relationship. His eyes darted over to Shane; always less put together - wrinkled shirt and mussed hair, a fingerprint on the lens of his clear framed glasses - still looked too perfect for words. Ryan found himself admiring his cohost and best friend pretty regularly, and moments like this still blew his mind.

Both of them.

They were _both_ offering their hearts and happiness to him and he-- Ryan felt tears well in the back of his throat. He swallowed them down, blinking quick.

“You don’t have to be pushed into this, Ry,” Shane assured him.

“Shut up, Shane,” Ryan whispered, his voice cracking. Sara and Shane exchanged a glance but Ryan shook his head.

“What are the rules? I mean-- I know this’ll change things.”

“Does it have to?” Sara asked. “I mean - you and Shane have always had your days to hang out. And so have Shane and I, and you and me hang out and do our own thing sometimes too. I’d like more of that to be honest -- but the rest of it -- What’s the difference if we add going home together at the end of the night sometimes?”

Ryan nodded again, staring at the steak on his plate like it was a magic eight ball. “Look I’ve said my part; I’m sure Sara has too. You can think on it. Until you decide, let’s just have fun, like always right?”

Ryan smiled then, nodding and picking his fork back up.

“Do we wanna go see a movie after this like we planned?” Sara asked.

“I don’t think so. I still have to pack for Seattle,” Shane said.

“What? You don’t have like an overnight bag ready? It’s like a fifteen hour drive, we barely need to fly or stay overnight,” Ryan argued.

“Eighteen hours, actually - I considered suggesting we drive but I think TJ would murder me.”

Sara and Ryan both snorted at that.

“And no, I don’t have an overnight bag packed - why would I?” Shane continued, ignoring their jab.

Ryan shrugged. “I always have one packed. Just in case.”

“That’s because you’re a conspiracy theorist.”

“It’s because I’m prepared for an emergency.”

Shane rolled his eyes deep enough that Ryan worried they’d get stuck in the back of his skull. He sighed patiently. “Fine, don’t be prepared then. But I agree - It’s been a long day and with us leaving this weekend we should try to rest as much as we can.”

Shane nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his water.

“You guys really aren’t gonna tell me where you’re going in Seattle?”

“To a haunted place,” Ryan said, wheezing when Sara flipped him off.

“Ghosts aren’t real.”

“You’re in denial just like your boyfriend,” Ryan teased.

Sara laughed, shrugging. “Maybe I am. I have you to keep me in the fantasy world though, right?”

“What would we do without you?” Shane teased. He reached out, running his fingers down Ryan’s hand affectionately.

Ryan’s cheeks burned hot, the grin spreading across his face before he could stop it. They said nothing more on the matter, despite the sudden weight of the air between them, an understanding settling over the group before they even became consciously aware of it.

But no one argued when they paid the bill and all stepped into the same car. Ryan only smiled when Shane’s hand rested on his knee, both he and Sara offering questioning looks.

“You coming in?” Shane asked softly when they neared his and Sara’s apartment.

“I’d like to.”

Hey got out and climbed the stairs of the apartment silently, bodies too close together to be anything other than intimate. None spoke until they’d shut the door to Shane and Sara’s apartment.

It was Sara that broke the silence. “So, Ryan... Does this mean...”

“It means I’d really like to kiss you right now,” Ryan said. He tried to look brave and sure of himself despite his heart thudding it’s way up his throat, and his dinner threatening to remove itself from his stomach.

Sara’s smile was blinding. She stepped forward and grabbed Ryan’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “No need to ask permission.”

Ryan stepped up to her, cupping her jaw in one hand and leaning forward. Their mouths slotted together perfectly, and Ryan could taste the pasta she’d had for dinner and the flavored chapstick she’d put on afterward. Ryan was sure his heart was going to stop by the time they separated, but Shane gave him no chance to recover before spinning him and leaning down. Their lips met harder, tougher and more needy; he was just as desperate. Ryan reached up, his fingers tangling in Shane’s messy hair. He felt Sara press against his back, gentle kisses placed along the curve of his neck. He reached back with one hand, finding hers and squeezing until he and Shane separated.

Sara’s lips crashed against Shane’s almost the next second, and Ryan felt a little shard of arousal pierce his stomach. He swallowed hard, watching the two with hooded eyes. When they parted, lips swollen and reddened, Ryan cleared his throat. “I need to go.”

“Why not stay for a while? You’re welcome to,” Sara offered.

“Yeah, you two can watch a movie while I pack for the trip,” Shane said.

Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah, as long as you’re comfortable with it.”

“Oh I am — I just didn’t wanna — this is so new. I don’t know what’s okay. Or how fast or—“

“We’ll tell you, just like we trust you to tell us,” Sara said, taking his hand. She gave it a squeeze. “I bet I can find some horror movies or something, if you wanna make some popcorn?”

“Popcorn? Oh that’s just not fair,” Shane said. Sara grinned.

“Well you should’ve thought about that before procrastinating,” Ryan said. “Hurry and pack and maybe we’ll save some for you.”

Shane made a frustrated noise. He smiled though, eyes shining. “I’m glad you said yes, Ry. I think we’re gonna all work out great.”

Ryan felt a swell of pride and — if he was being honest with himself — love.

“I think so too.” He smiled over at Sara and wrapped an arm around her waist, watching Shane disappear into the bedroom.

He was still scared, but they were already so close; Sara and Shane had been right about that. What was one more step? When he returned with a bowl of popcorn and Sara tucked herself under his arm, the sounds of Shane’s grumbling drifting out from the bedroom, Ryan finally let it sink in just how lucky he was. And how happy he knew they would be.


End file.
